2022 Election Slate
Secretary-Treasurer 2022-2023
Dr. Minh Duong is the owner of Primary Eyecare and Optical of Meridian. He was born in Vietnam and came to America in 1980 to Athens, Alabama. He attended the University of Alabama in Birmingham to get his B.S. in biology and chemistry. He stayed in Birmingham to receive his Doctorate of Optometry at the UAB School of Optometry in 2003. That is where he met his future wife, Dr. Thi Bui, who grew up in Gulfport, Mississippi.
After graduating, Dr. Duong and Dr. Bui moved to Jackson, Mississippi to practice for a couple of years. They realized that they wanted to build their own practice. Fate brought them to Meridian, MS. In 2008, they opened Primary Eyecare and Optical of Meridian. They added on to the building in 2015 and again in 2017.
Dr. Duong prides himself on delivering the best primary eye care possible. He uses the latest in ophthalmic technology to drive maximum efficiency so that the patient can get the most accurate and comprehensive eye exam without being here for hours.
Spending time with his three children is his favorite pastime.
District 1 (Oct 2022 – Oct 2025)
Dr. Hatfield graduated in 2009 from Southern College of Optometry, where he served as vice president of the Mississippi Optometric Student Association. After graduation he began working at Total Eye Care alongside Dr. Steve Beaty, and in 2012 he purchased the practice.
Dr. Hatfield continues to be an active member of MOA and has served on the MOA Board, the Young OD committee, on the OFP PAC board, and is a graduate of the MOA’s inaugural Leadership Optometry class of 2015-2016. He has remained an active member of the American Optometric Association.
Dr. Hatfield is active in vision-related community projects and helps organize an annual Kids Day event with the Total Eye Care staff. The event includes free vision screenings, children’s eye exams, and discounted prices on children’s eyewear. He also participates in the community’s annual Halloween festival, and Total Eye Care regularly sponsors local little-league sports teams.
In addition to youth eye care, Dr. Hatfield provides onsite care for local nursing homes and for residents of assisted-living and mental-health facilities and has provided vision screenings during Itawamba Community College’s Senior Citizen Health Fair. Dr. Hatfield has written monthly articles for the Itawamba County Times to build community awareness of ocular health and eye-related issues.
District 3 (Oct 2022 – Oct 2025)
Dr. Bran Dawson is a native of Tupelo, MS. He received his undergraduate degree from Mississippi State University, graduating cum laude. In 2014, he received his Doctorate of Optometry from Southern College of Optometry in Memphis, Tennessee. Dr. Dawson is a member of the American Optometric association and Mississippi Optometric association.
Dr. Dawson is married to Dr. Julie Dawson. They have two daughters, Emery and Anna West. Bran enjoys spending time outdoors, including hunting, golfing, and fishing
At Large (Oct 2022 – Oct 2025)
Dr. Mandi Smith was born and raised in Wesson, MS, and has resided on the Mississippi Gulf Coast since 2010. She is a magna cum laude graduate of Mississippi State University. She received her Doctor of Optometry degree from Southern College of Optometry in Memphis, TN, where she was a member of the Beta Sigma Kappa Honor Society and graduated magna cum laude.
While in Memphis, she participated in a mission trip providing eye care to a remote area in Honduras. Dr. Smith remains active in her local community as well, by delivering lectures to the diabetic support group at Garden Park Hospital and volunteering at the Special Olympics. She has been featured in the local newspaper with her “All About Eyes” column and quoted in South Mississippi Living magazine regarding children’s vision. She recently opened a practice in Gulfport.
Dr. Smith is an active member of the Mississippi Optometric Association (MOA) and the American Optometric Association, and is a graduate of the MOA’s 2018-2019 Leadership class. She is married to Dr. Benjamin Smith and they have a daughter, Addison. When she’s not spending time with her family, Dr. Smith enjoys running and has always had a love for reading.
2022 - 2023 Board As Nominated
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Josh Hatfield, OD District 1
October 2022 - October 2025
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Jay Nail, OD District 2
October 2020 - October 2023
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Bran Dawson, OD District 3
October 2022 - October 2025
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Monique Carr, OD District 4
October 2021 - October 2024
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Hilari McFarland, OD District 5
October 2021 - October 2024
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Michael Phillips, OD At Large
October 2021 - October 2024
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Mandi Smith, OD At Large
October 2022 - October 2025
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Jay Fuller, OD At Large
October 2020 - October 2023
